Chapter 26

Nakangiting nagmamaneho sa tabi ko si Friedan habang hinahatid ako nito papasok sa school. Hindi pa namin napag-uusapan ang nangyari kagabi. 

Pagkatapos ako nitong pakalmahin dahil sa biglaang pagsulpot ng katauhan sa loob ng katawan ko'y nagpaalam na itong matulog sa sariling kwarto. 

Ngayo'y hindi ko alam kung papaano sisimulan ang usapan tungkol saamin. Ano na ba kami ngayon after what happened last night?

"Your mission with The Riot continues tomorrow. Whatever it is, be careful." Mahinahon nitong sambit habang papasok sa campus. Nadatnan naming nakatambay ang ilang pillars na nagbabalat-kayong estudyante sa malawak na landscaped garden ng DHU. Sabay-sabay pang napatingin ang mga ito sa sasakyan ni Friedan.

"Everything is set. I'll be fine."

"One more thing," he takes a pause as he maneuvered to turn right, his handsome face glanced at me quickly before he laid his attention back to the gateway, "stay away from the Vargas guy. I don't like you being around him."

Natigagal ako. Kumunot ang mga noo ko. I cleared my throat before I dared to speak. Pero bago pa man ako makapagsalita ay may kasunod na ang una niyang sinabi. 

"The outcross are everywhere. I may not feel any form of bad energy from that guy but my guts tell me that he's not safe."

"P-phelan is a nice guy."

"Even the nicest people have their limits and their darkest secrets, Kiera." Napahigpit ang hawak nito sa manibela. Hindi ko alam kung minasama nito ang pagtatanggol ko kay Phelan. Hindi na ako nito kinibo hanggang sa maihatid ako sa harap ng gym kung saan ang babaan ng mga estudyanteng lulan ng sasakyan. 

Laking gulat ko nang namataan kong nakaabang sa kaliwang sulok ng gymnasium si Phelan na tila napansin din ang pagdating ng sasakyan ni Friedan. Pakiramdam ko'y may namuong tensyon sa mabilisang titigan nina Friedan at Phelan. 

Napatiim ng bagang ang una habang minamaneobra pahinto ang sasakyan. "Speaking of the devil." He utters with sarcasm. 

"Don't act like you're my father now. It doesn't sound sweet."

"Pinapaalalahanan lang kita, Kiera." His voice return into its calm and sexy tone. Nang tuluyang tumigil ang sasakyan para makababa ako'y mabilis na lumapit ang mukha nito sa mukha ko. Wala pang segundo ang lumipas nang halikan ako nito sa gilid ng aking labi. Then he utters, "Take care."

Namula ang mga pisngi ko. His words are short but it means so much to me. Friedan is finally seeing me as a lady, not a little girl who he needs to look after because it's his responsibility. It could have been sweeter but, the idea that he maybe an accomplice or a spy of LOU hinders me from feeling it fully. 

"I will." Nakangiti kong sambit bago binuksan ang pintuan ng sasakyan. Naglakad ako patungo sa gym kung saan nakangising naghihintay si Phelan. Nang lingunin ko ang sasakyan ni Friedan ay paalis na ito. 

"That boyfriend looks dashing, huh?" Sarkastikong usal ng lalaki na nakasuot ng kulay abong V-neck shirt, denim pants at white shoes. Pinagtitinginan na naman ito ng mga kababaihang napapadaan sa dakong iyon. 

Bumuntong-hininga na lamang ako sa tinuran ng lalaki. I can sense the mockery in his voice. It's catching, but I won't fall for it. Sa loob ng maraming araw na nakasalamuha ko ang lalaki, kilala ko na ito. 

"Anong mayroon at parang fans day mo na naman?" Bagkus ay turan ko. Mukha na naman kasi itong artistang pinagkakaguluhan. 

He breathes out as if he's no longer happy with the idea that he is a campus celebrity. Tinitigan ako nito. His dark brown eyes flash against my eyes. Kaagad din itong bumawi ng tingin at nauna nang naglakad. "Roen is at the library."

Susundan ko na sana ito nang mapansin kong ibang daan ang tinatahak nito. "Why are we taking that way?" Asik ko. 

"There are three urions that way. Isa sa may main gate, dalawa sa likod ng admin building. We're taking the farther path going to the library." He explains as he walks faster without checking my pace. 

Taka kong pinagmasdan ang lalaki habang mabilis na naglalakad kasunod nito. We walk pass the gymnasium then the mini-eco park bago kami lumusot sa malaking building ng College of Law. "How did you know they're there?"

"I don't know." He shrugs his broad shoulder. Then he glances at me again as he looks back on his left shoulder. May kung ano sa mga titig nito. "I just feel their presence. May be something hybrids can do? Ordinary urions and outcross can't feel our presence, but we can definitely feel every move they make."

My jaw drops at the statement. Nagpatuloy ito sa paglalakad hanggang sa marating namin ang likuran ng library. I have no clue where Roen is. There's only the two of us. 

"Phelan, w-where's Roen?" I ask with my sight pinned to his. He becomes extra-gorgeous everytime I look at him closely. It's maybe a Phelan thing. 

Hindi ito kumibo. Bagkus ay may pinindot itong isang brick sa may pader ng library. Mabilis na gumalaw pakanan ang isang kwardradong bahagi ng pader na nagsilbing lagusan sa kung saan man kami gustong dalhin ni Roen. 

We are lead to an almost crypt, a tomb rectangular in shape with sloping sides and a flat roof. Ilang metro mula sa pinagmulan namin ay may napansin akong liwanag na marahil ay mula sa isang silid. Napagtanto kong may isang silid nga sa dulo ng parihabang lagusan. The room looks like a separate world from the dark underground. May malaking venetian chandelier sa gitna kung saan nasa ibaba nito ang isang wooden table at apat na upuan. Ang mga pader ay napapalibutan ng mga libro. May tatlong shelves ng librong naroon na puro may hard jacket na kulay itim at ginintuang disenyo-isang selyo na ngayon ko lang nakita. 

Tantiya ko'y kadikit lang ng silid na ito ang actual library. Naabutan naming nagbabasa ng libro ang red-haired hybrid na si Roen. Tumigil ito sa ginagawa nang tuluyang isara ni Phelan ang kanina pa nakabukas na pintuang gawa sa mabigat na bakal.  

Roen might have noticed my reaction kaya nagboluntaryo na itong magpaliwanag. "There are hundreds of places like this all over the world, Kiera. In ancient Egypt, they call this a mastaba but to us, hybrids, this is a chamber. Ito ang chamber 23. Diamond Hills has 3 chambers: 23, 24 and 25." He sat on the chair opposite to where we are standing. 

"C-cool! So bakit ngayon lang namin alam 'to?" I interrogated unhesitatingly. Naupo na ako sa tapat nito habang si Phelan ay tahimik lang na nagbubuklat ng mga itim na libro. 

"The eclipse was your day of birth, like the Christening in the Roman practice. The chamber would have not allowed you to see this without both of you being confirmed."

"C-chamber? Like league of urions? Or the group of outcross? So may grupo din ng mga hybrids?" Sunod-sunod kong tanong. I thought that accepting the hybrid thing in my blood would give me freedom from any congregation. Ganoon din pala. 

Tumaas ang isang kilay ni Roen. He blows an amount of air to get rid of the fallen red hair covering the right eye. His hands clutch together as he stares at me intently. "We're not the LOU nor the Outcross, Kiera. The chamber has no hierarchy like the pillars of LOUS. Wala ding maestro, elite officer or legend sa outcross." 

"So how do you organize the group?" Sa wakas ay nagsalita din si Phelan. Ibinalik nito ang binabasang libro saka naglakad patungo sa wooden table. 

"We function as one. Hybrids protect each other. That's what we've been doing for more than a century."

"Decades?" Phelan and I chorus. Nagtinginan kami ng lalaki sa narinig. 

Tumawa si Roen. Umiling-iling ito na sala sumandal sa kinauupuan. "I'm already 127 years old. I stopped aging at 21."

Roen's confirmation makes us speechless. Roen looks younger than his actual age. Parang kasing-edad lang namin ito. 

"How is that even possible, Roen?" Muli kong usisa habang nakatitig sa mukha nito.

"Us hybrids, don't age that much. Our aging gradually stops the moment we are born as hybrids. We only age every eclipse. Each eclipse is equivalent to one-day aging. Which means we only age 4 days every year."

Napalunok ako. Napaisip ako kung papaano ako mabubuhay ng ilang daang taon. Anong gagawin ko sa loob ng ilang daang taon? 

"Does that mean we're almost immortal? What could possibly kill us?" Phelan looks as terrified as I am. His perfect jaw tightens as his grip reaches for the edge of the old table. 

Roen's face shifts from amused into perturbed. Napalunok ito bago sumagot. "LOU has deviced a weapon that could kill us. May apat nang namatay na hybrids recently due to these weapons."

The three of us become silent. Ilang segundo din iyon bago muling nagsalita si Roen. "You are both perfect for the job. Since both the outcross and the urions does not have any knowledge about you being hybrids."

"What do we do?" Nagpalipat-lipat ang tingin ko sa dalawa. 

"You spy on them until we find the source of that lethal urion weapon." Roen utters decisively. 

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